Tool for installing boiler handhole caps



S. B. CLAY TOOL FOR INSTALLING BOILER HANDHOLE CAPS Sept. 2 1924.

Filed Aug. 4. 1923 ZA/VENTO?,

- HTfO/ENEKS Patented Sept. 2, 1924. e i

UNITED" STATE s PATENT.OFFICE-1@ SAMUEL BnArNnRn CLAY, Aor sr. Lotus, MrSsOUn1`Ass1GNoR 'ro MEINE Bonnin COMPANY, ors'r. LOUIsMIssO'URI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI. 'I

TOOL FOR INSTALLING BOILER HANDHOLE CAPs Application fled August 4, 1923.' Serial No.. 655,674.

To all whom t may concern: l

Be it known that I, SAMUEL B. CLAY, a citizen ot' the Unitedr States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tools for Installing` Boiler Handhole Caps, otwhioh the following is afull,-clear, and exactdescription, such as will enableothers Skilled in the art to which -it appertains to make and use thesame. v :k

This invention relates to tools of thekind that are used tor exerting endwise pressure on an article that is positioned in. a member, either tounseat the article or to seat the article firmly in said member. j

The main object of my invention is to provide a tool ot' the type referred to that is easy to handle and operate, and which is equipped with an hydraulic or fluid operated means for causing the jaws of the tool to engage the article being' Seated or un'- seated and for thereafter moving said jaws in a direction to shift lthe article endwise or longitudinally relatively to the member in which the article is positioned.

I have herein `illustrated my invention embodied vin a tool thatis designed to be used `for `insta-lling boiler .hand hole caps of the type that consists of a hollow, -cupishaped member provided with a hollow tapered pontion that projects through a. hand hole in one wall of the water leg of a boiler, but I wish it. to bel understood that the tool can be used'for various other purposes and` that;changes can be made in the construct-ion and arrangementV of the parts ot' the toolwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.. j j 1 v Figure l of the drawings is a longitudinal sectional vien7 of my improved tool, with the j aws Vof the' tool shown in elevation.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the jaws and' certain other parts of the tool that are'associatedwith fthe jaws; and Figure 3 is an end view ot thejaws and the tapered element which. the jaws surround. v v In vthe'drawingsmA designates a boiler hand hole cap that is provided with a tapered portion which projects forwardly throughv a hand. hole in the. front wall y/ of a boiler water leg, said cap mbeing temporarily positioned in the hand hole by arranging the cap inside of the waterleg and then manually forcing the tapered portionpof the cap orwardlythrough the hand f hole. Thereafter the cap is drawn tightly into the handv hole by the aid vo-iimyim-v proved tOolso-as to produce a steam-and? water tight joint between thetapered por,- tion of the cap and the party of the boilerin which the cap is positioned. i j

My improved tool is of such-.design 1 that the jaws of the tool can bje yintroduced into the hand hole cap without liability of dislodging the cap from` itstemporary posil` tion, and a controlling -valvethereafter manipulated so as tocause 'an hydraulic or fluid operating medium toact on parts of the too-l `in such awway as to expand the jaws and hold them pressed tightlyagainstj the tapered portion of thecap and there- Vafter move` said jaws in a 4direction to seat the cap tightly 1in `the "hand hole which it closes. The main elements Vofthe tool con sist of jaws A, o-any suitable design` constructed so vthat they can becollapsed an'd introduced into the cap m, a member B adapted to be arranged in engagement with the front sides'of they Vpart '1/ of the boiler in which the cap is positioned, @cylinder C carried by the member B and'provided with a piston D lthat is co-nnectedby means ot a piston rod E with an element F which the jaws surround` a second piston D' that actuates a device Gr which is, used to expand vthe jaws and also lto effect the-collapsing of the aws, and a valve H 'that is adapted to be Opened so as to cause an Operating medium which may be a liquid oratluid under pressure, to act first on thepistonjiD to cause the jaws A tofbe expanded into engagement with the taperedportionof the hand hole cap; a: and thereafter act on the piston D and `move iti-'longitudinally of its cylinder C in a direction to cause the jaws to exert endwise pressure. on `the hand hole cap .in a direction to seat the cap; tightly in the part y of the boiler. j During'the operation of installingV a hand hole cap the t-Ool is supported by an Operator who grasps a handle'l, connected tothe mem-` ber B and to the cylinderiC,- and ahnurled hand grip J on a,orwallyprojectingporl tion of the piston rod E, the member .B O the tool being ot such design. that when the inner end ofA same is pressed againstnthe outer tace of the parte? ot the boilerinwliich the hand holle cap is positioned, the piston i in parallel relation to same and the piston rod E which carries the jaws ofthe tool will be arranged in longitudinal alignment with the center line of the hand hole cap ai., The piston rod E projects rearwardly through the end wall of the cylinder C and the inner' end of said piston rod is connected, preferably rigidly, to the element F which the jaws A surround. The element F of the tool herein illustrated is of substantially truste-conical shape in outline, 'and the jaws A are of segmental shape and provided on their inner sides with inclined surfaces that bear against the tapered outer face of the element F, the jaws'being held together and retained in sliding engagement with the tapered element F by one or more annular resilient retaining devices l that are arranged in grooves in the outer side of the jaws A. lhen the jaws A movev longitudinally of the tapered element F5 towards the small end of `said element, they will collapse 'or contract, and when said jaws move longitudinallj1 of the element F in the opposite direction, they will expand, the element F being provided adjacent its larOe end with an annular rib 2 that forms an abutment which co-operates with shoulders 8 on the jaws A tolimit the outward movement of said jaws when they are expanded," The device G previously referred to that governs the expansion and contraction of thejaws A. preferably consists of a sleeve reciprocatingly mounted on a cylindrical guide 4 at the small end of the tapered i element F and arranged so that it bears against `the inner ends of the jaws A, as shown in Figure 2, said sleeve G being adapted to be'moved longitudinally in one direction to expandthe jaws and in the opposite direction to permit the jaws to be collapsed' by the pressure which the resilient retaining devices l exert on the jaws in a direction tending to cause them to movetowards the small end of the taperedv element F.

The piston rod is hollow and the piston D1', previously referredto, is reciprocatingly mounted in said piston rod, or rather in the cylindrical guide 4 that-virtually forms part of the piston rod, and is connected by means of a cross pin 5 to the sleeve G which surrounds the guide l, said guide having elongated slots 6 therein that receive the pin 5 and thus permit the piston Dand sleeve G tomove longitudinally with relation to the piston rod. As shown in Figures l and 2, the hollow piston rod E is provided with orilices 7 arranged adjacent the point where the piston D is connectedto said rod, so as to cause the operating medium that is admitted to the piston rod E from the supply pipe S to escape laterally into the cylinder C at a point between the piston D and the end wallofsaid cylinder, and thus move said piston longitudinally in one direction. Movement of said iston D in the oppositedirection is etlecte by an expansion spring'Q that acts on the piston, and movementof the piston D longitudinally in one direction is eifected by an expansion spring l0 that is arranged in a center bore in the tapered element F insuch a way that it bears against one end of the piston D. i

After the cap w has been temporarily pos-i.- tioned in the part y of the boiler, the jaws A of the tool which are then collapsed, are introduced into the cap and the member B of the tool pressed against the front side of the part 2/ ot' the boiler in which the cap is positioned. Thereafter, the valve H is manipulated so as to permit the operating medium to pass from the supply pipe 8 into the hollow piston rod E and exert pressure on the )iston D in a direction to cause the sleeve (I that is connected with said pistont-o move the. jaws A longitudinally towards the large end of the tapered element F,- the cti-operating inclined surfaces on said element F and on said jaws causing the jaws to be forced outwardly into clamping er1-,- gagement with the tapered portion of :the Y hand hole cap. As soon as the jaws A have been evpanded` due to the pressurewliich the operating medium exerts on the piston D, said operating medium escapes through the orifices 7 in the p-iston rod and `exerts pressure on thek piston D in a direction to move said piston D and the jaws A with which it is connected, longitudinally in a direction to draw' the capi .r tightly into the hand hole in the part y of the boiler. After the cap has been seated in the part g/ of the boiler, the valve H is manipulated so as to permit the operating medium to escape: from: the cylinder C and from the hollow piston rod, whereupon the piston D will move longitudinally in the opposite di-` rection, under the influence of the spring 9, and the jaws A will move into their collapsed position,` due-to the pressure which the. resilient jaw retaining devices l exert on the aws in a direction to cause the jaws to move longitudinally towards the small end of the tapered elementF, it being understood that as soon as the. pressure of 'the operatingrmedium on the piston D is relieved, the spring 10 will expand and 'move said piston D` and the sleeve G longitudinally in a direction Ito permit the jaws A to slide over the tapered surface of the element F towards the small eind of the same.

A tool of the construction above described is reliable in operation. it is of-simple design`r it enables a boiler hand hole cap to be seated tightly in a hand hole :in a fraction of the time that is required to seat a hand hole cap with a manually-operated tool, and the jaws of the tool are so constructed andl operated that they will be Acompletely collapsed at the time they are introduced into the hand hole cap, thereby eliminating thefpossibility yof rthe jaws bearing against 'the cap-fand discomprising j aws :that are adaptedl` tobe ienf gaged with' thegarticle, a single valve that governs an?opei'ating'medii1m,.'and means adapted to be actuated by said ope-rating medium for causing said jaws togtightly.

grip the article and thereafter move the article endwise with relation to the part with which it is positioned when said valve is opened.

2. A tool for moving an article endwise of a part in which the article is positioned, comprising jaws that are adapted to bev engaged with the article, two pistons,.and a single means that is adapted to be actuated to cause an operating medium to act on one of said pistons, .thereby causing the jaws to tightly grip the article and to thereafter act on the other piston vand exert pressure on the jaws in a direction tending to move the article endwise relatively to the part in which it is positioned.

3. A' tool forl moving an article endwisel of a part in which the article is positioned, comprlsing jaws that are adapted to be engaged with the article, a piston for causing said jaws to tightly grip the article, a second piston for mo-ving the jaws so as to shift the article longitudinally with relation to the part in which it is positioned, and means that is adapted to be operated for causing an operating medium from a single source of supply'to-act on both of said pistons, said pistons-being so proportioned and arranged that the piston which causes the jaws to gripthe'article will operate in advance of the other piston.

4. A tool for the purpose described, comprising a cylinder provided with a piston, a hollow piston rod connected to said piston, jaws carried by said piston rod, a second piston reciprocatingly mounted in said piston rod for expanding said jaws, and means wherebv the admission of an operating medium to said piston rod causes the piston therein to expand the jaws and thereafter causes the other piston to move in a direction to move the piston rod vand jaws endwise.

5.' A tool for the purpose described, comprising a cylinder provided with a pisto-n, a hollow piston rod connected lto said piston, jaws associated with said piston rod, a piston in said rod for expanding said jaws, an orifice in said piston rod that establishes communication lbetween the interior of same -1 and: i the :interior 'fof said `cylinder whereby the admission of an .operating mel ldium to said piston :froid fcauses the .piston in :said rod towact andthereaterLcaUSes the piston in said-cylinder; to 'act,anclfmeansr-for collapsing said j aws ywhen the piston?` inV4 the j piston rod -is-notsubjectedfto theVfp-ressure of the operating medium. 'f 6l oltor installing boilerhandihole caps, compri-sing ,v a memberfiadapted.` toi, be

arranged. Iin engagement wvith the part ofy the ,boiler in which i lthe f capi lis positioiied, zal'. cylinder carried, -by said? ypart :andi'pfovided with a piston, a piston rod connected to said piston, expansiblle jaws combined with said piston ro-d and adapted to: be introduced into the cap, a second piston for expanding said jaws, and means whereby [the operation y of opening a single controlling valve causes an operating medium toact on said pistons in such a way as toucause the jaws to tightly grip the cap and thereafter drawthe cap tightly into its seat.

7. A tool for installing hand hole caps in boilers, comprising a memlberadapted to be arrangedin engagement with a part of the boiler in which the cap is positioned, a cylinderon said member provided with a piston, a hollow piston rod connected with said piston, expansible jaws combined` with said piston rod and adapted' to be introduced into the cap, a second piston in said piston rod for expanding said jaws, and an orifice in said piston rod that establishes communication between the interior of same andv said cylinder, whereby the admission of an operating mediumto `said piston rod causes the jaws to be expanded into engagement n piston, a hollow piston rod connected to f said piston, j. a tapered element combined with'saidv piston rod, expansiblev-jaws surrounding said taperedelement and adapted to -be introduced into the cap, means that tend to normally hold said jaws collapsed, a second piston in said piston rod for expanding said jaws,4 and means for-.permitting an operating medium that is supplied to said piston rod to escape into said cylinder'and actuate the piston in said cylinder. 9. Atool for installing boiler hand -hole caps, comprising a `member adapted vto be f arranged in engagement lwith a par-tof the boiler in which the cap is positioned, a cyl-` inder on said member provided with apiston, a hollow piston rod connected t0 saidv piston, a tapered element combined with said piston rod, jaws surrounding said-ta# pered element and adapted to Vbe collapsed by movement longitudinally of said element in vone direction and to be expanded by movement longitudinally of said element in -the opposite:direction,V a. second piston' in said piston rod for expanding said jaws, and an oriee in said piston rod that establishes communication between `the interior of same and said cylinder.y l

10. A tool for installing boiler hand hole caps, comp-rising; a member that is adapted to bev arranged'in engagement with a part of the boiler lin which Ithe cap is positioned, expansi-ble jaws that are adapted to be inti'odu'ced finto the capy'a single. `controlling Valve for Vgoverning .an operating medium, means whereby the -o-perationrof` opening saidivalve expands lthe jaws into engagement with the cap and Vthereafter causes Ythe 1 jaws to exert pressureon :the cap ina direc; tion to seat ilt=tight1y in the part of the boiler which carries same5 and means vfor disengaging the jaws Afrom the leap after. the Valve has been manipulatedtoyeut olii the supply of the'openatingr=nr1edium.V

SAMUEL BRAINRD CLAY y 

